Dragonbond
by Yanagi Uxinta
Summary: Looking back isn't easy, and memories aren't always easy to forget. There comes a time when moving forward is all you can do, even if it means leaving a part of your soul behind.


Returning to the castle in its state of disrepair made the hairs on the back of N's neck stand up.

Even just standing in the debris-strewn corridor set his nerves on edge. He recognised that doorway, could just about see the pale blue of the floor, and the edge of a white cloud.

He couldn't go near it.

Ever since Zoroark had darted away on Victory Road, leading him along an obscure path into the mountain, N had had a strange feeling. It was like running head first into the past. When he'd stopped dead at the top of those black stairs, he almost expected to see Ghetsis and the Goddesses waiting for him at the foot, surrounded by bustling Team Plasma members.

Instead, he'd followed Zoroark down the steps and into the empty, ruined corridor.

It was cold down here; the generators had long since died, or been damaged in the castle's fall. The only light was from the holes in the ceiling above, allowing sunlight to filter down.

He wasn't sure when Zoroark left him; all he remembered was the Pokémon returning, nudging his hand in momentary comfort, then loping off into the darkness to explore. Just seconds after he had vanished, N finally heard footsteps on the stairs behind him, and turned to see the new Champion, staring around curiously.

She was quite young – younger than Touko had been when she started her journey, anyway. Maybe fourteen.

N couldn't help wondering who would win in a match. He couldn't help wishing it was Touko standing there instead of this girl who knew nothing about the place she was standing in.

"_You_ came," he said, trying and possibly failing to hide his disappointment entirely.

She looked around at him, all wide eyes and curiously tilted head.

She reminded him of Zoroark, when he was a Zorua, and had first seen something new.

He sighed, turning away. It wasn't her fault she wasn't Touko, or that Touko was absent – travelling the world, or searching for him, even. He should at least have the courtesy to explain where they were.

"This..." he started heavily, looking up at the fractured pillars. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of blue floor and white clouds, and his throat went dry. He swallowed hard and started again. "This is Team Plasma's Castle," he said, then gave a soft, tired laugh, "the ruins of Ghetsis' dreams..."

He paused, scanned the floor as he searched for the words, before turning back around to face her. She was watching him quietly, her large eyes sad, with a confused twist to her mouth. Ghetsis, at least, she knew about.

'_What am I doing here?'_ He wondered, bowing his head so that his eyes were obscured while he thought.

He could just leave. He could walk out, right now, take Mei with him and make up some random babble about getting lost and never have to come back to this place again.

So why did he feel such a draw to the place?

Not the castle itself...the throne room. The place where everything – his past, his future, his beliefs, his life – had changed.

He needed to see it again.

Slowly, a smile began to form.

While there, why not repeat history, and see for himself which conqueror of Team Plasma was stronger?

"The deepest chamber of this castle..." he said, thinking of how to word it without giving too much away before he was ready. "It's a place that holds a special meaning to me..." He lifted his head, and let his smile show. "I have to face you there! Follow me!"

As often happened, N began moving before his brain could catch up; he had already started to turn before an alternative occurred to him.

He hadn't seen how Touko had reacted to his castle when she'd been here. He'd already been in his throne room, trying and not entirely succeeding to stop himself from unravelling completely. He'd been almost completely unaware of what was going on around him; even to this day, he thought the only thing that had held his fracturing psyche together had been Reshiram's influence.

There were certain...similarities between Touko and this girl, Mei. He couldn't see or recreate Touko's reaction, but perhaps Mei's would be similar? It would at least give him an idea of how a 'normal' person would react to what had been his home.

It would mean giving her complete freedom, of course, and he would be obliged to follow. He knew, with near-certainty, that she would choose to look in the room beside them. It was simple human curiosity; the odds were high that she would.

Yet what was it Anthea and Concordia used to tell him, when he was scared at night as a child?

Face your fears. Kings and Heroes are allowed to be scared, but they can't run from their fear. Otherwise they would never succeed and realise their dreams.

He was no King – never had been, really – but he _was_ a Hero. He had a new dream to realise, even if he hadn't quite worked out the fine details yet, and he couldn't reach that dream – couldn't even contemplate starting – if he couldn't face a simple bad memory.

Just do it. Say it.

He paused, then turned back, his voice slow as he considered.

"Actually..." Just say it!

The rest came out in a babbled rush; faster than normal even for him. "Rather than just leading you there, I'd prefer to follow. That way, I can see which path you choose and observe what catches your interest."

Sure enough, her eyes flickered over to the dark doorway for a moment, before returning to his.

'_Don't balk now.'_

Steeling himself, he returned to some of the lessons the Goddesses and the Sages had given him in preparation for his rule. His back straightened, he dragged his breathing under control, and he steadied his voice. Injecting confidence into it and projecting it slightly, it rang impressively through the decrepit, empty halls. "So, I ask this of you! Take me to the deepest chamber of this castle!"

The girl blinked, straightening instinctively in response to authority, her gaze steady. There was an oddly Touko-ish set to her mouth – determined, stubborn – as she nodded.

He let out a quiet sigh, and felt an odd calm settle over him. It was out of his hands now, in a way. "You lead and I'll follow!" He said, stepping back and extending his hands either side of him; letting her choose.

She stepped forward, her footsteps slightly muffled by the soft rubber of the soles of her shoes.

With a quick glance back at him, as if to check it was alright, she turned left and walked straight towards the cloud room.

She slowed as she walked over the threshold, letting her eyes adjust to the dim lighting. There were no holes in this ceiling; the only light was from the hallway behind them; casting their long shadows into the room until the gloom swallowed them up.

N clenched his fists, tensed his shoulders and back, and walked forward to stand beside her.

She was peering around, a small, troubled frown on her face.

"Whose room was this?" She asked, glancing back at the door as though expecting to see a sign.

He grimaced. He could hear in her voice that she expected it to be a child; a younger sibling, maybe. He was starting to see how infantile the room really was.

"This place... was my entire world..." he explained, and pretended not to see her double take.

"Your...?" She asked, her voice fading through the word. "I didn't realise..." she said, looking around again, her eyes confused, and a little sad.

He shook his head. How could she have known? It made him wonder, though, how Touko had reacted. Sad? Pitying? Angry?

It certainly might explain why she'd been so furious with Ghetsis when he'd entered the throne room. N had never heard her voice so cold; so tightly controlled.

It was also the first time he had ever seen anyone strike his father.

Shaking himself out of the memory, he realised he should probably elaborate. "When I was little, I was abandoned deep in the woods," he started, wandering a little further into the room, slipping his hands into his pockets to hide their shaking.

"The ones who took me in and raised me were the Pokémon who lived there," he said, eyes lingering on the half pipe, imagining he could still see the old wear and tear marks on it from when his Pokémon friends had gotten carried away and forgotten to sheath their claws. In the dimness, it was impossible, but N still knew where every scratch and scuff mark was.

He turned away, preferring to look back at the girl. She had nothing to do with this room; she was the only thing in here that couldn't bring back memories of the place.

"Then, one day, a man appeared, claiming to be my father. That... was Ghetsis," he said, closing his eyes tightly.

He still didn't know if what Ghetsis had told him was true. Knowing what he did now, N wouldn't put it past the man to abandon his son to further his own aims, only to step in later and offer aid, shelter, family.

That might have been why N, as a child, was so blindly devoted to Ghetsis. He'd devoured books on all subjects in the past two years, and he remembered reading about a syndrome that resulted in the prisoner becoming utterly loyal to their captor. Tiny acts of kindness were sometimes all it took – what better way than to 'save' the person you'd abandoned yourself?

N shook his head again, spinning sharply on his heel to distract himself; catching a glimpse of the toppled basketball hoop, then the train tracks and the overturned chest of toys. Maybe he would never know. Ghetsis may indeed be completely unrelated to him, though the resemblance did cause some suspicion. Either way, the result was the same.

"The things he gave me were... the name "Harmonia"... the knowledge a king would need... Pokémon with their hearts shut so very tightly I couldn't even talk to them... and this room..."

It was no use. The shaking was getting worse, and the gnawing insistence that, any second now, Ghetsis would step into the room was growing.

Get out. Just get outside, now.

He shook his head sharply and dragged enough presence of mind from somewhere to excuse himself with a rushed, "I'll be outside..." before striding quickly out of the door, leaving Mei staring after him in confusion.

He managed to get a few steps outside of the room before sagging against the wall, out of sight.

He tensed, trying to gain control of the trembling of his body. He stared around at the hall, proving to himself that no one was there. No Ghetsis, no Sages, no sisters.

No Touko.

He was grateful, in a way, that the younger girl took so long examining his old room. It gave him enough time to slow his breathing and let the feeling of twisted déjà vu abate.

When she emerged, he gave her a shaky attempt at a smile.

"You lead, I'll follow!" he said, trying for some strength in his voice.

Mei tilted her head, rocking on her toes for a moment, chewing her lip.

It would be so easy to ignore that; to wave her forward and pretend he didn't see the question on her lips.

'_Don't be a coward.'_

"What is it?" N asked, trying not to show his reluctance to hear any questions about the room.

Mei shuffled, watching her shoes intently, then looked up.

"Just...don't you have any good memories of in there?" She asked, jerking her head backwards towards the room again.

N's eyes jumped open, taken aback for a moment, before waving her forward as he thought.

"I remember... This is the place where Anthea and Concordia took care of me as a child," he started, with an uncertain smile as they walked, almost side-by-side.

His sisters were one of the few good things he cherished from his old life. More than anyone else, even his twin Hero, he'd missed them the most.

"The Seven Sages all taught me many different things..." he shrugged as they started climbing the stairs. Though his education had been interesting, it was a bit too close to everything else that had happened to be a truly happy memory.

They were quiet as they walked up to the final floor. N stopped when the throne room doorway came into view, Mei getting a few steps ahead of him until she realised he wasn't following.

She turned, eyebrows hitched in question, only for N to nod towards the cracked and chipped archway.

"This is our destination... Go inside," he said, keen to let her form her own impressions. He knew how Touko's story had played out from this point on; from the moment she had entered the throne room, something inside him had...stabilised. It had been easier to focus, even though that fresh clarity only showed him the mistakes and lies he had told and heard his whole life.

When he'd given Mei a few seconds head start, he followed her in.

She was walking down the aisle, staring up at the ceiling and down at the empty craters either side of her with her mouth open, astounded.

When she reached the plateau just below the stairs, he called out to her, smiling.

"That's the place!"

She jumped and turned around, her eyes almost comically wide as he strode forward to catch up.

"It was two years ago," he said as he drew level, looking around the once magnificent room. Looking back, its destruction now seemed quite cathartic. What better way to destroy a place than to allow the revival of Unova's legendary dragons?

Once Touko had stopped staring, she'd seemed pretty happy about it as well, come to think of it.

He finally looked back down at the other Trainer, unable to contain his smile at the memory as he explained. "For the sake of Pokémon... for my world of truth... I put my beliefs on the line and battled a... _certain_ Trainer!" He said, and saw Mei's eyes light up with recognition.

Touko had become something of a celebrity in the past two years; joining the ranks of child heroes throughout the globe that had saved their countries, continents, or even the world.

Even on his return, the first newspaper N had picked up had had a small story on her; speculating on her current whereabouts and why she had left. No doubt this young Trainer would have at least heard of Touko – from the look of wonder in her eyes, she maybe even idolised the older girl.

N's smile grew wider, pride creeping in at the corners as he continued.

"And I lost... " he said with a small laugh. Mei's eyebrows rose again in surprise. Not many people would sound cheerful about losing what was probably the most important Pokémon battle of their lives, after all.

Ah well. She'll learn, eventually.

Still, best to try and sate that curiosity.

"But at the same time, I learned something important. To make the world better, you must accept different ideas," he said, trying to suppress another rueful grin.

Mei nodded slowly, starting to understand the concept, at least. N doubted she'd ever realise just how radical a suggestion that had been for him at the time.

"I learned that _this_ is the formula for changing the world," he said, walking past her and towards 'his' side of the plateau; standing with his back to where the throne had stood. Mei followed a few steps behind him, and he could feel her frown against his back.

"Formulas...wait, _you_ were the one in Chargestone Cave!" She said; her eyebrows nearly vanishing again as she stopped dead in surprise.

N just laughed and nodded, discreetly removing a pokéball from his pocket.

"Accepting different ideas... I want to see if you're a trainer whose heart is strong enough to do that," he said, ducking his head slightly. Mei seemed to realise what he meant, because her eyes narrowed and she took a step back, reaching for her own pokéballs.

N just grinned, turning and stepping back as he threw the pokéball to the side. "Reshiram, come!"

The legendary burst out of its confinement; heat washed over them both in a wave, the warmed air lashing through their hair and clothes as the dragon spread its wings and roared.

N laughed, clapping a hand to his hat to stop it from being blown into the dried up pool. "Reshiramalso wants to know what truthsyou seek and how good of a trainer you are," he translated for Mei, who was staring at the dragon in wonder. She'd seen Reshiram before, of course, but the last time they had both been in danger. It wasn't the best time to gape at the legendary's majesty; even N could see that.

Reshiram lowered its mighty head, fixing N with its glacial eye for a moment, before shifting its attention to Mei and giving a low, crooning cry.

"Battle with me. Are you prepared?" N asked, partially translating, partially asking for himself.

Mei grinned and drew her first pokéball, nodding.

Reshiram crowed its approval and N laughed, throwing his arms out wide in invitation. "Show me the depth of your determination!"

Reshiram surged forward as Mei cast her first pokéball.

Her Samurott bellowed as he landed, then drew his seamitars and lunged to meet his opponent.

Reshiram didn't give him chance to land a hit, however.

A miniature sun formed between its jaws, rising up from between them only to slam downwards onto the Samurott, heat and flames rolling out from the impact.

Mei cried out in concern, but the samurai Pokémon was cloaked in steam. He had used water to protect himself from the worst of the blast; and he used the impromptu smokescreen to his best advantage, lunging out of it, seamitar first.

The sea lion Pokémon was finely trained; that was obvious at a glance. He wielded his blades expertly, and was surprisingly nimble for such a large, seemingly top-heavy Pokémon.

Reshiram kept it at bay initially with its psychic ability; deflecting the smaller Pokémon away with well-timed waves of invisible power, but eventually Samurott broke through and landed a harsh blow on the dragon's flank. Reshiram snarled, and snapped its wing out sideways, knocking the sea lion Pokémon away.

"More! Let me hear the voice of your Pokémon!" N shouted, as Samurott reeled back, shaking his head.

Then the sea lion sheathed its blades and maintained a wary distance and the two circled slowly.

It was only when Reshiram's head jerked up that N heard the noise; a dull roaring that seemed to come from beneath his feet.

It was too late. With a deafening crash, the rubble of two years ago was blasted away from the pipes that had originally let fresh water into the sparkling pools. Now a torrent jetted out and swerved towards the dragon, directed by the sea lion Pokémon.

It slammed into the legendary in a crushing wave, knocking Reshiram over. N had to leap out of the way to avoid being swept into the other pool by Reshiram's thrashing wings.

The water swiftly abated, leaving only a steady stream that would eventually flood the room.

As Reshiram struggled to regain its feet, Samurott drew one of his seamitars and dashed forward, intending to end the battle quickly.

The dragon rolled onto its side and snarled, and purple energy began roiling between its jaws.

Samurott's eyes widened and he tried to dive aside in time, but the pulse of draconic energy had already shot from Reshiram's maw and it smashed into the sea lion Pokémon's side, knocking him backwards.

He skidded across the cracked tiles, nearly into his Trainer until Samurott dug its claws into the ground and dragged to a timely halt.

He raised his head, looked instinctively over his shoulder to check Mei was unharmed, then turned back to the dragon and hissed, whiskers lifting to bare white, curved teeth.

"You okay?" N called, concerned. Mei's hand appeared, waving over the back of the Samurott.

"Just fine, and winning!" She shouted, smiling. Samurott gave a low, long, groaning bark; almost a bray, and shoved himself to his feet, shooting a fond glance at his Trainer.

N grinned, hearing the Pokémon's words in the sound.

'_Of course we're winning. We're awesome. What's one puny legend, after all?'_

The dragon Pokémon followed suit, lumbering to its feet. Reshiram was sodden, Samurott singed, and both of them bruised.

They held their ground for a moment, weighing each other up, then Samurott barrelled forward again, and Reshiram drew its head back, purple energy burning in its throat.

This time Samurott dodged, ducking to the side of the blast and continued forward, lowering his head in a flat-out charge.

His horn rammed into the legendary's chest, knocking the Pokémon back.

Reshiram could have recovered, but the sea lion Pokémon was too fast. Before the dragon had re-established its footing, one of the seamitars was resting at its throat.

Samurott gave a low, bubbling growl.

_ 'Surrender.'_

Everyone knew that Reshiram could easily roast the sea lion Pokémon in an instant if it chose, but after a few tense seconds, the dragon gave a low rumble of acceptance.

"Does that mean...?" Mei asked as Samurott backed away and sheathed the blade, dropping heavily down onto all fours as Reshiram shook itself and stood properly.

N grinned. It hadn't been a true battle; not the way his and Touko's had been, but that didn't matter. Winning didn't matter. That wasn't the point, after all.

"The love for your Pokémon that permeates every cell of your body. I accept it!" He said, and Mei beamed, rushing forward and throwing her arms around Samurott's neck, laughing. N could have sworn he saw the Pokémon's eyes roll, even as it lifted one heavy arm to wrap around his Trainer's shoulders.

He gave her a few moments to collect herself, and when she finally stopped jumping up and down and had set her feet back on the ground, he addressed her. She looked at him, eyes still crinkled with her smile.

"Reshiram and I were defeated," he said, resting a hand lightly on the white Pokémon's arm, feeling the usual warmth radiating out from its soft feathers. "Your feelings, your desire to know the truth— that's what surpassed us. Battling with you reminded me of two years ago..." Although perhaps not in the way he had expected.

He smiled at her resurfacing grin. Apparently being compared to Touko was a huge compliment now.

"It may just be a little, but I know you better... That's how I feel," he said, recalling her determination, concern for her partner, and slightly reckless willingness to put herself in harm's way during the fight.

Now for the hard part.

He'd felt, ever since the fight in the Giant Chasm, a strange distance between himself and Reshiram. Not an emotional one, as such – the legendary still fiercely defended him and called him friend. Something was different, though.

It had taken him some time to figure out what it was. Coming back here, with all the memories, had finally given him the final part of the equation.

The Bond between human and dragon wasn't there anymore.

He thought he understood, now. Reshiram's forced merging with Kyurem had changed it. Becoming the Light Stone of its own volition was just like falling asleep. Being forcibly changed, and then merged with what N suspected was the husk of the original dragon... that was more like rebirth.

The legendary wasn't the same Reshiram he had Bonded with two years ago. It stayed with him because he was still the Chosen, and its loyalties hadn't changed, but there was no longer that soul-deep connection anymore.

He was starting to think it was time to let the dragon choose a new Hero, the way it was meant to.

Even though a deep, aching loss was occupying his chest, he turned to Reshiram and managed a smile.

"And Reshiram...thanks for everything. My journey with you has been truly wonderful!"

The Pokémon's large, delicate head swung around to regard him out of an aquamarine eye. N gave a tiny smile and straightened his spine. _Just say it!_

"From now on, I want you to use your power to help this Trainer realize her dreams," he said clearly, his head held high.

Reshiram blinked, and gave a low croon.

_You are certain, Chosen? You will be missed._

N's smile wavered. He pressed his lips together and shook his head, refusing to let the lump in his throat dissolve into tears.

He made himself lift his head again and nod. It was the right thing to do, he knew. "I know. I'll miss you, too... But your task is to help humans who seek truth. I learned so much from you. I'll do my best to tell everyone else what I learned on my own," he said, his grip tightening in the soft feathers for a moment.

This was something he needed as well. To be made to interact with others on his own, without the support of a legendary at his back. Even though the people he'd met in the past two years hadn't known he was accompanied by a legendary, _N_ had known, and that confidence alone had been enough to drive him onwards.

Now he needed to find that confidence within himself. It used to be there, back when he still thought he was a King, and that Team Plasma's sole goal was a noble one. The destruction of everything around him had shaken him deeply, but it was about time he tried to gain back the positive aspects of himself that he had lost. The negatives he was happy to leave scattered about the ruins around him.

Reshiram's snout dipped, and the dragon carefully nudged N's shoulder, blinking its large eyes in ancient concern.

_Chosen?_

Its caring made his smile a little wider, and a little less pained.

"'I'll be OK! I can talk to Pokémon!" He said, lifting a hand to brush the soft fur of Reshiram's mane in silent thanks. The Pokémon's eyes closed, and a soft breath of warm air rustled N's hair.

He rested his head against Reshiram's domed skull, committing the moment of peace to memory.

"I'll become the bridge between Pokémon and Humans! That's my truth!" He promised fervently, and the brilliant blue eyes opened again. N could have sworn he saw pride glinting in those ageless eyes.

He sighed, his eyes burning, but his voice was steady as he said goodbye. "So... rest well..." he murmured, giving the soft feathers a last brush before stepping back.

The dragon crooned again, lifting its wings and closing its eyes as light seemed to emanate outwards, nearly blinding him.

When he lowered his protective hand and peered past his splayed fingers, the Light Stone was slowly drifting to the ground.

The sphere hit the ruined tiles with a light _tack_, and stilled completely.

Slowly, N stepped forward and carefully picked up the Stone, running his thumb over the smooth surface.

It was as warm as the dragon had been.

With a small, sad smile, he lifted his head and turned, walking towards Mei. She was standing, staring, one hand half-raised to cover her mouth with the other slung over Samurott's back for support.

The sea lion Pokémon didn't look much steadier.

N smiled, trying to reassure them both as he stopped in front of them.

"Mei, I'll entrust you with this Light Stone," he said, carefully holding it out towards her.

She stared at the smooth rock, her eyes almost comically huge, before revealing her mouth and reaching a shaking hand for it.

N missed the deceptively heavy weight as it left his hand, and that ache in his chest throbbed again.

Mei's eyes finally lifted from the Stone, and she seemed to find her voice.

"What do I do now?" She asked. N managed to stifle a grin at the squeak in her voice. It would be rude, after all.

"Take the Light Stoneto Dragonspiral Tower!" He said, letting his smile grow now as he remembered his own journey to the pillar, and the Bonding that had resulted afterwards.

Best to give her some advice on what to expect, though. He himself had no idea when he'd finally reached the top floor; had found the small, innocuous Stone lying right in the centre of the ringed room.

It was a lucky thing that he'd had a Pokémon team on-hand; often he wandered without a team, confident in his own safety even amongst wild Pokémon.

"Reshiram will challenge you to a battle when you arrive at the top floor. It will need to determine if you are truly strong enough, and believe in your truth, to be Chosen by it. Today's fight won't count," he said with a smile, when she frowned and tried to complain.

She paused, closed her mouth with a _clack_ of teeth, and sighed, grinning ruefully.

"Should have guessed it wouldn't be that easy, huh?" She said, but slowly her smile faded from her face and she looked at him with something remarkably like concern.

"What about you? What will you do now?" She asked, and it was N's turn to hesitate.

He'd considered it. He'd thought about it for nearly a year now. Part of him had even expected to find her when he saved Mei from Ghetsis and Kyurem; sure that she and Zekrom would have been there, trying to help the tortured legendary as well.

It was about time he found her, really.

"I will... I'll search for that Trainer I battled two years ago. And... I plan to say thank you," he said slowly, smiling a tad shyly.

Mei beamed and giggled, apparently at ease now that she knew he would be alright.

"Well, I think _I'll_ say thank you now. This means...more than I can say. Really," she said, turning to smile at her whiskered partner.

Samurott lowed; giving her a firm nudge in the arm and showed his teeth in a smile.

Mei and N laughed, and she turned back, an arm slung over her Samurott's back as they started to walk away.

He waited, throat burning and tight, until they were merely silhouettes against the dim light filtering in from the doorway.

"Thank you," he whispered.


End file.
